Milwaukee, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Artist and establishment both licensed
- Minimum age to hold license
- 18 years or older
- General penalty
- Forfeiture up to $500 per violation
- Tattooing a minor
- Separate $200 forfeiture
- Emergency suspension
- Up to 14 days, no notice
Summary
Milwaukee requires tattoo artists, body piercers and their establishments to hold a health department license, meet sanitation and plan-of-operation standards, and bars licensing anyone under 18.
LICENSE REQUIRED. a. Except as provided in par. b, no person may tattoo or attempt to tattoo another, designate or represent himself or herself as a tattooist or use or assume the title "tattooist" and no tattoo establishment may be operated unless the person and the establishment are licensed under this section or applicable Wisconsin statute. ... AGE QUALIFICATION. No license shall be issued to any person or any agent of a corporation or limited liability corporation who is not 18 years of age or older.
Full Breakdown
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 75-23 requires a health department license before anyone may tattoo, offer to tattoo, or perform body piercing, or operate a tattoo or body-piercing establishment. Applicants file a plan of operation covering hours, occupancy, security, sanitation, and a site plan detailing sterilization and hand-washing facilities; the city also adopts Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 221 as part of the licensing standard. No license may issue to anyone under 18. Violations carry a forfeiture up to $500 per offense, with a separate $200 forfeiture for tattooing a minor, and the department may immediately suspend a license posing an immediate danger to public health.
Violations & Fines
Operating or working as a tattooist or body piercer without a license draws a forfeiture up to $500 per violation; tattooing someone under 18 draws a separate $200 forfeiture, and unsafe or unsterile operations can trigger an immediate license suspension of up to 14 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Milwaukee require a license to run a tattoo shop?
Can a minor get a tattoo in Milwaukee?
What can trigger an immediate shutdown of a Milwaukee tattoo shop?
Sources & Official References
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Tattoo & Body Modification in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Milwaukee County handle tattoo & body modification.